MX2007014791A

MX2007014791A - Media recording and playback.

Info

Publication number: MX2007014791A
Application number: MX2007014791A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Michele Seisun; Herve Murret-Labarthe; Steven Griffith
Original assignee: British Sky Broadcasting Ltd
Priority date: 2005-05-23
Filing date: 2006-05-23
Publication date: 2008-02-12
Also published as: EP1900202A1; WO2006125971A1; IL187559A0; ES2419354T3; US20090087167A1; CN101213836A; EP2651124A3; EP1900202B1; GB2426623A; NZ563600A; AU2006250984B2; US20150289006A1; GB0510521D0; AU2006250984A1; US9025940B2; BRPI0611163A2; CN101213836B; EP2651124A2; IL187559A; GB2426623B

Abstract

A media recording device automatically records selected broadcast programmes according to categories specified by the user, without requiring the user to specify in advance which programmes are to be recorded. The recorded programmes are then presented to the user for selection, and the selected programmes may be played back immediately or saved for later playback. Each broadcast programme may be allocated a priority, and the device may decide which programmes to record or delete according to their relative priority. For each broadcast programme, a corresponding visibility period may be specified, during which the programme can be selected for playback and is not deleted. There may be a delay between the broadcast of the programme and the beginning of its visibility period. An expiry time may be specified for each programme, after which the programme is deleted. There may be a delay between the end of the visibility period and the expiry time.

Description

MEDIA RECORDING AND REPRODUCTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus, method and system for recording and reproducing means, particularly, but not exclusively, in a system of transmission means. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In Personal Video Recording Systems (PVR), such as the Sky + (RTM) system, a transmission receiver or television set (STB) stores a schedule of programs to broadcast on different channels and at different times, and presents this itinerary to the user in an interactive electronic program guide (IEPG). The user selects the desired programs or series of programs, which are subsequently recorded on the local recording medium, such as a hard disk, as they are transmitted. Later recorded programs can be viewed at a convenient time for the user, or they can be stored to be viewed repeatedly or be deleted automatically after they have been viewed. The programs are transmitted and stored in encrypted form, the decryption process being handled through a smart card. Some programs may be provided on a "pay-per-view" basis, so that they can only be seen if an additional payment has been made and a specific authorization has been sent to the STB. A PVR system allows the user to build a collection of desired programs, making reference to the IEPG and selecting programs individually or as a series of the itinerary. However, the desired programs must be available in the itinerary and must either have been observed by the user and be selected specifically for recording, or be recorded automatically using a "link" feature in series. In an almost Video on Demand (NVOD) system, programs are broadcast repeatedly with slight time offsets, such as every 15 minutes, or on different channels. Therefore, the user does not need to wait long for the desired program to be available. NVOD systems are simple to pay, although expensive in terms of bandwidth. In a type of Video on Demand (VOD) system, a library of programs is stored on an end server of the electronic equipment located at the start of the cable system. The user selects programs from the library and the selected programs are run or downloaded to the user's STB. Users can therefore select their desired programs without reference to an itinerary. However, the bandwidth requirements of this type of VOD are very high, because a point-to-point connection is established with each user, and the instantaneous bandwidth demands of all users must be met. Consumers can also find many different programming objects on offer, which discourages and is less attractive than a managed choice or an offer to see something recommended. In a push VOD (P-VOD) system, a program library is downloaded automatically to the user's STB, without requiring the user to pre-select any specific program. Later the user can select which of the downloaded programs to see. In an Internet P-VOD system, as described in US Patent No. 6807558, the program library is downloaded through the Internet connection. In a transmission P-VOD system, the programs are transmitted in intervals in hidden channels and are selectively recorded by the STB to build the library in this way. From there, although the programs are transmitted according to an itinerary, the user does not need to be aware of the itinerary and it is not required to select a specific program before transmitting. The P-VOD service provider has the ability to use their experience and knowledge regarding the relative qualities of different pieces of programming, studies of the behavior of observers and research of observers in relation to vision preferences, and specific indications of the preference made by the observer to generate a selection of recommended programs for any given observer. The P-VOD provider, therefore, wishes to make his preferred selection of programming, based on his experience and knowledge, available to the observer. The P-VOD service provider also wants to make a larger selection of recommended programming available to the observer. In order to provide the user with a pleasant and easy service, programming also needs to be presented to the user in an intuitive and predictable way. For example, the consumer may be confused if they have programming to view, but then they are removed from the itinerary after an unexpectedly short period of time before they have had the opportunity to see it. There are several technical obstacles faced by the P-VOD service provider in offering a service with these qualities. Although memory costs are falling and P-VOD systems have been made possible through a number of comparatively large programs that can be stored in a local storage device, memory resources are still infinite. For example, it is possible to store at least 40 hours of standard definition video on a commercially available hard drive. However, this represents only a fraction of the programs that users want to see. In addition, developments such as an implementation of High Definition (HD) programming services increase the amount of memory resources required per unit programming time. Therefore, it is necessary to maximize and optimize the use of available memory resources. Transmission PVRs also contain a finite number of tuners, which are required to receive broadcast programming at any given time. Often, PVRs will contain one or two tuners, although the number may be greater. Each additional tuner implies an extra cost. During "live" observation, the observer necessarily uses a tuner. This will also be the case if the observer inadvertently fails to turn off his PVR, and therefore no attention is paid to the visualization. In addition, each program selected to be recorded at any given time will require the dedicated use of a tuner. Conflicts with the tuner can therefore occur. There are also finite bandwidth resources to transmit the programming. In satellite transmission, it may be possible to acquire additional bandwidth in the relevant orbital position, although this implies a significant cost that may vary depending on the provider. Other distribution platforms, such as digital terrestrial television (DTT) and cable have similar considerations. Brief Description of the Invention In one aspect of the present invention, a media recording system automatically records selected transmission programs according to categories specified by the user, or one or more default categories selected by the service provider. , without requiring the user to specify in advance what programs will be recorded. Each of the recorded programs is subsequently presented to the user for selection, during a period of corresponding visibility, and the selected programs can be played immediately or saved for later playback. Recorded programs can be deleted after the period of visibility, although they can be saved for repeated viewing and keep them longer than the visibility period. Each transmission program can be assigned a priority, and the device can decide which program to record according to its relative priority. Recorded programs of low priority can be deleted to allow recording of higher priority programs. Preferably, recorded programs can be deleted only outside of your period of visibility. Recorded programs can be automatically deleted after a specific expiration time. It can be a delay between the end of the visibility period and the expiration time. The transmission schedule of the relevant programming can be determined according to the programming priority and / or the probability that a tuner will be available in the programmed transmission time. There may be a delay between successful recording of a program and the beginning of its visibility period. In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a media recording system, as described above. In another aspect, an adjusted computer program is provided to carry out the method when it is executed in the media recording system. In another aspect of the present invention, a P-VOD transmission system is provided which transmits information specifying the relative priorities of different programs, the visibility period of each program, and / or the expiration time of each program. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagram of a transmission P-VOD system in a modality of the present invention; Figure 2 is a diagram of a life cycle of an object of help content in the modality; Figure 3 is a diagram of a priority scheme of different aid content objects in the mode; Figure 4 is a diagram of a transmission scheme based on priorities in the modality; and Figure 5 is a diagram of a sample transmission program in the modality. Detailed Description of the Invention In a modality of the. present invention, a transmission P-VOD system with an additional service to a PVR transmission system with an IEPG is provided, so that the simple STB provides access to both content P-VOD as PVR. The STB includes a hard disk which is placed in at least two pro-rata or sectors: one of which the user can use and manage in accordance with the existing PVR functionality available to them ("user-driven sector") and another which is handled by the service provider instead of the user ("P-VOD sector"). In other words, a quota or sector is used to store content objects previously selected by the user before transmission (either individually or serially) while another quota or sector is used to store selected content objects in automatically by the STB. In the case of a hard disk, preferably, this division is logical rather than physical, that is, it is implemented through the file management system. This logical division provides the service provider with greater flexibility for subsequent changes to the receivers already installed in the homes of the users. The STB records the selected P-VOD in the P-VOD sector, through a real-time recording process. The STB provides selective access to the loaded P-VOD content through an "on demand" service menu, which may be separate from the existing PVR service menu. For example, P-VOD programs can be described in conjunction with traditional video-on-demand (NVOD) services. PVOD Transmission System. Figure 1 shows functional characteristics of the P-VOD transmission system in one embodiment of the present invention. The electronic equipment located at the start of the transmission cable system 10 provides transmission content through a transmission current 11 to a plurality of STBs 20, only one of which is shown in figure 1. The electronic equipment located at the beginning of the cable system 10 includes a content scheduler 12 which stores content objects, such as audio and / or video programs, and produces the content effects to be transmitted in the transmission stream 11 according to an itinerary. The traffic system 13 generates a transmission itinerary that determines in which channel (s) and at what time (s) each content object will be transmitted. The transmission route is transmitted to the electronic equipment located at the beginning of the cable system 10 in order to control in this way the transmission channel (s) and time (s) in which each of the content objects in the content itinerary 12 they are transmitted in the transmission stream 11. The content objects include PC help content objects which are transmitted in dedicated content channels in the transmission stream 11. Preferably, the transmission of each of the content objects of PC help is repeated at intervals to ensure that it can be received by each of the STBs. The electronic equipment located at the start of the cable system 10 includes a help content information interface 14 that receives help content information from the traffic system 13, and produces the help content information Pl in the transmission stream 11. The STB 20 receives the transmission content objects, including the PC help content objects, and the help content information Pl of the transmission stream 11. The STB 20 includes a hard disk 21, preferably divided as described above, and a help content manager 22 which selects which of the received help content objects PC record in the P-VOD sector. The STB 20 includes a user interface 23 which includes a help content preferences menu 24 through which the user adjusts the help content preference settings. The user interface 23 also includes a content playback function 25 which describes the content objects stored on the hard disk 21, and allows the user to select the described content objects to be reproduced from the hard disk 21. For example, the Selected content objects can be taken from the hard disk 21 to an audiovisual screen 27 through an appropriate interface 26. Help Content Information. The help content information Pl includes a list of commonly available help content groups, which indicate the content type of the PC help content objects. For example, available help content groups may include "western movies," "high-definition movies," or "premier presentations." The list is received through the STB20 and is displayed through the preference menu 24 for selection by the user. Groups can include a default group which is automatically selected through STB 20 before any group selection by the user. The default group can be removed from the selection when the user makes a group selection, so that the default selection is replaced by the user's group selection. Alternatively, the default group can be permanently selected by the STB 20 and can not be removed from selection by the user, to ensure that the PC help content objects within the default group are always available for selection. The help content information Pl also specifies, for each PC help content object: i) one or more of the associated groups; ii) a unique reference, which is repeated each time the content object is transmitted, to allow the STB 20 to recognize whether said content object has already been recorded; iii) a priority value of priority to allow the STB 20 to prioritize between different content objects when selecting which content objects to record and / or delete; iv) content life cycle information (as will be explained later); v) an itinerary of the future transmissions of said object, indicating when and in what channel (s) the content object will be retransmitted; and vi) a save indication indicating that the content object can be loaded for a repeated addition. The help content manager 22 selects which of the PC help content objects to record, on the basis of the help content information Pl and one or more previously determined rules. For example, only content objects belonging to groups selected by the user can be recorded. As an alternative, if there are no groups selected by the user, a group can be recorded by default or one gives a number of groups by default. A content object can not be recorded if a content object that carries the same unique reference has already been recorded. The help content manager 22 also deletes or marks as available for removal selected PC help content objects already recorded in the P-VOD sector, thereby leaving available storage space for other help content objects. The following are examples of other rules through which the help content manager 22 records or deletes help content objects. Life Cycle Administration. Each PC help content object has associated life cycle information within the help content information Pl. With reference to figure 2, the PC help content object is first transmitted from time T-1, and is record successfully in TO time. Times T-1 and TO are preferably not contained within the help content information Pl. For example, T-1 can be determined through the transmission path of said content object in the electronic equipment located at the start of the system. cable 10. TO may be at the end of the first transmission of the content object, provided that the first transmission is successfully recorded by the STB 20; otherwise, it may be the time in which a subsequent transmission of the content object is recorded. The life cycle information determines one or more of: i) a time T1 after which the content object is visible to be selected for playback through the playback function 25; ii) a time T2 after which the content object becomes eligible for deletion when storage capacity is required for a new content object; iii) a time T3 after which the content object is automatically deleted. The time period T-1 to T1 provides a "cache window" during which the PC help content object is transmitted and can be stored, but can not yet be selected for playback. The part of the "cache window" between TO and T1 is optional and does not need to be provided for some content objects, in which case T1 may be equal to TO. However, the "cache window" provides the following advantages: i) when the P-VOD service is first lacing, the cache window allows some time for the P-VOD sector to be populated with PC help content objects before the official launch date. i i) When a particular PC help content object is being published as available from a certain time (which can be a specific date), the PC help content object can often be transmitted before that moment, although with T1 adjusted to. published time, so that through a suitable priority selection, scheduling and number of transmissions there is a great opportunity for the PC help content object to be available to all users at the time published. iii) Low priority objects can be recorded but kept unavailable within the cache window, to provide an opportunity to be replaced by a higher priority object before the low priority object is visible. This allows optimal use of storage capacity, tuner availability and bandwidth to ensure that if a tuner is not available to record a later scheduled transmission of a higher priority content object, the user is still presented with a object of relevant content and that complies, despite the lowest priority. The time period T1 to T2 provides a "visibility window" during which PC-recorded help content objects are displayed and can be selected for playback. Preferably, you can not delete a content object during its visibility window regardless of its priority; this ensures that the content object is continuously available for selection during its visibility window. Time period T2 to T3 provides a "flexible expiration window" during which the content object will no longer be transmitted, and can be replaced by higher priority content objects, although it will automatically be eliminated. The expiration window allows a flexible expiration of content and replacement mechanism. For example, the user can select a PC help content object during the visibility window that will be saved to be viewed later during the expiration window. Alternatively or additionally, the PC help content object can still be displayed as available for playback during the expiration window, if it has not been deleted. Said expiration of flexible content is convenient because the user is not unnecessarily presented with a menu of incomplete content objects due to automatic rigid deletion before the tuner resources are available to record the next content object determined by the content manager 22 for recording. In practice, it is likely that the elimination of the largest of the removal of content objects takes place between T2 and T3, and there may be some cases of automatic deletion in T3. However, forced removal after time T3 may be required to satisfy the license rights, since the content object will not be available outside the relevant licensed window. Priority. The help content objects always agree with a lower recording priority than the previously selected recordings initiated by the user to be stored in the user-managed sector. For example, when the STB 20 is a transmission receiver having one or more tuners, each tuner is preferably assigned to receive recordings or views initiated by the user. Therefore, in the case that a transmit receiver has two tuners, it is likely that only one tuner is normally available to receive help content, since the other tuner will normally be assigned to a "live" channel or to receive a recording initiated by the user. The number of tuners can be greater than 2, although whatever the number of tuners, they increase the unit cost and therefore the handling of the tuner resources is important. In a PVR of two tuners, although the user wants to watch one channel and record another, tuners will not be available to receive help content. Similarly, if the user has selected two programs to be recorded simultaneously, no tuners will be available for recording. The priority value contained in the help content information Pl is used to give priority to the recordings. In one example, if one or more help content objects belonging to a group selected by the user, are transmitted in times that overlap, and the STB 20 does not have the ability to record all of those objects of help content to the user. At the same time, it will record only the object (s) with the highest priority value. In another example, if the P-VOD sector is full and a new help content object is saved, a recorded help content object can be deleted if it has a nominal value of lower priority than the new help content object. , assuming that the lower priority object is not in the visibility window between T1 and T2. A recorded content help object can be removed only if it is either inside the cache window (T-1 to T1) in the flexible expiration window (T2 to T3), and should be deleted after T3. These priority rules allow selection between different help content objects when subjected to recording or storage restrictions. In a specific modality shown in figure 3, the priority values from 0 to 3 (high to low) are used. Groups A and B each contain content objects of some or all possible priority levels. A default group can contain only high priority objects (0 or 1). The operator of the P-VOD system can determine the priority values of priority for each object within each group, in order to achieve a desired behavior on the part of the help content manager 22. Figure 4 shows a specific example of a transmission strategy designed to increase the likelihood that high priority content will be recorded. The number of help content objects normally transmitted within each priority priority value increases with the lowest priority. In other words, there are fewer high priority content objects than lower priority content objects. However, more bandwidth is available in the transmission stream 11 for higher priority objects than for lower priority objects. For example, higher priority objects can be transmitted more frequently than lower priority objects.

Itinerary. Figure 5 shows an illustrative transmission program of help content objects, divided by weeks and groups. The shaded part shows the relative priority assigned to each content object for the corresponding week and group, without shading lower priority objects in a coarser manner. Each object of help content can be transmitted more than once each week, and be subject to bandwidth restrictions. In order to maximize the opportunity for content objects to have available tuner resources to make a recording, the transmission. of content objects is programmed according to known or anticipated availability of the tuners. For example, the probability that the tuners are available during 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. in the morning is generally expected. Conversely, the probability is expected that the tuners will be available during a prime time between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm at night. Accordingly, high priority content objects are programmed to be transmitted at times when tuners are more likely to be available. When the STB 20 has the ability to transmit information to the electronic equipment located at the start of the cable system 10, for example through a dial-up or broadband modem connection, the STB 20 can store information that is related to the hours of the availability of their tuners, and they relay this information to the electronic equipment located at the beginning of the cable system 10, so that the statistical information regarding the hours of availability of the tuners is gathered, and it is used to program the content objects of high priority help to match the times of greatest availability of tuners. Automatic Termination of Unattended Vision. In a system mode, if a user has not interacted with his STB 20 for a certain period of time (such as 90 minutes) after a certain hour of the day (such as 1:00 a.m.) a display may be displayed on the screen that asks the user for confirmation that they are still watching TV. If there is no response after a period, such as two minutes, the STB 20 will be put on hold, thereby releasing the P-VOD recording of a tuner previously used for a live view. Save Help Content. By default, an object of help content is deleted from the P-VOD sector once it has reached its expiration date, ie after T3. However, this programming will normally be replaced during the period T2-T3 through the flexible elimination process described above. However, if a save signal is set for a specific help content object, the user can select whether that object is saved at any time during its visibility period, or after time T2 if the object has not yet been deleted . The subsequently selected object is transferred from the P-VOD sector to the sector operated by the user and can be viewed using the content reproduction function 25, even after the period T2-T3, subject to any other vision restrictions. Alternative Modalities. In the past modalities were described by way of example only, and variations may arise for those skilled in the art at the time of reading the present disclosure, which will always be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. .

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for selectively recording and reproducing content objects of transmission media, wherein the apparatus comprises: a. means for receiving media content information that relates to media content objects; b. recording means for selectively receiving and recording from a transmission stream one of the content objects of the selected medium on the basis of the content information of the medium; c. a user interface for indicating the content objects of recorded media to a user and for receiving a user selection of the content objects of the indicated media; and d. reproduction means for reproducing the object or media content objects selected by the user; wherein the media content information includes hours of availability corresponding to the media content objects, and the user interface is set not to indicate the content objects of recorded media before the corresponding availability hours. The apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that the media content information indicates expiration times corresponding to the media content objects, the recording means being adjusted to eliminate one of the content objects of the media. means for which the corresponding expiration times have already passed. 3. An apparatus for selectively recording and reproducing content objects of transmission media, wherein the apparatus comprises: a. means for receiving media content information that relates to media content objects; b. recording means for selectively receiving and recording from a transmission stream one of the media content objects selected on the basis of the media content information, and for selectively removing one of the content objects of recorded media , selected on the basis of media content information; c. a user interface for indicating the content objects of recorded media to a user to receive a user selection of the indicated media content objects; and d. reproduction means for reproducing media content objects selected by the user; and. wherein the media content information includes flexible and rigid expiration times corresponding to the media content objects, and the recording means are adjusted to prevent the removal of content objects from recorded media before the flexible times of expiration corresponding, and to assist in the removal of content objects from recorded media after the corresponding rigid expiration times. 4. The apparatus as described in the claim 3, characterized in that the media content information indicates availability periods corresponding to the media content objects. 5. The apparatus as described in the claim 4, characterized in that the user interface is set to indicate media content objects only within their corresponding availability periods. The apparatus as described in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the recording means are adjusted to prevent the elimination of media content objects within their corresponding availability periods. The apparatus as described in any of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the reproduction means has the ability to reproduce one or more of the media content objects selected after their corresponding availability periods. 8. An apparatus as described in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the media content information indicates a relative priority between one of the different media content objects. 9. The apparatus as described in claim 8, characterized in that the recording means is adjusted to select one of the media content objects on the basis of the relative priority. The apparatus as described in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the recording means is adjusted to eliminate one of the media content objects having lower priority than one of the media content objects selected for recording. The apparatus as described in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the recording means is adjusted to eliminate one of the media content objects selected according to a storage capacity restriction. The apparatus as described in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the media content information indicates one or more categories corresponding to each of the media objects, the recording means being adjusted to record one of the media objects. media content objects selected on the basis of the one or more categories. The apparatus as described in claim 12, characterized in that it includes means for receiving the preferences of a user's categories, the recording means being adjusted to record one of the content objects of selected media on the basis of the preferences of the user's category. 14. The apparatus as described in the claim 13, characterized in that the categories include a default category, the recording means being adjusted to record one of the selected media content objects belonging to the default category, regardless of the user's category preferences. The apparatus as described in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the media content information includes media content identification information that uniquely identifies the media content objects, the recording means being adjusted for record only one of the media content objects, where the media content identification information indicates that they have not been recorded. The apparatus as described in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the selection of the user includes an indication that one or more of the selected media content objects will be saved for subsequent reproduction, so that the mode of Recording is inhibited from removing one or more of the content objects from saved media. The apparatus as described in claim 16, characterized in that the media content information includes an indication of whether the media content objects are not allowed to be stored, so that the user is prevented from saving the objects of media content indicated. 18. The apparatus as described in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the media content information is received from the transmission stream. The apparatus as described in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes a priority of receiving resources for receiving the transmission stream, and live reproduction means for reproducing live content from the transmission stream substantially compliant it is received, the apparatus being set to assign at least one of the receiver's resources to the preferred live playback means to be recorded by the recording means. The apparatus as described in claim 19, characterized in that it includes means for detecting whether the user is attending the live content, and reallocating the at least one of the resources of the receiver of the live reproduction means to the medium of recording, if it is detected that the user is not attending the live content. 21. A method for selectively recording and reproducing content objects of transmission media, wherein the method comprises: a. receive media content information that relates to media content objects; b. receiving and recording selectively one transmission stream one of the media content objects selected on the basis of media content information; c. indicating the content objects of recorded media to a user and receiving a user selection of the indicated media content objects; and d. reproduce the object or media content objects selected by the user; wherein the media content information includes an availability time corresponding to one of the recorded media content objects, and the user interface is set to indicate the corresponding recorded media content objects before the availability time. 22. A method for selectively recording and reproducing content objects of transmission media, wherein the method comprises: a. receive media content information that relates to media content objects; b. selectively receiving and recording from a transmission stream one of the media content objects, selected on the basis of media content information; c. indicate content objects of recorded media to a user and receive a user selection of the media content objects indicated; and reproducing the object or media content objects selected by the user; wherein the media content information includes a flexible expiration time and a rigid expiration time corresponding to one of the recorded media content objects, and the recording medium is set to prevent the deletion of the content object from corresponding means before the flexible expiration time, and force removal of the corresponding media content object after the rigid expiration time. 23. A method for transmitting content objects of means for recording and reproducing subsequently, characterized in that it comprises transmitting the media content objects together with the media content information indicating a relative priority between one of the content objects of the media. different media. 24. A method for transmitting content objects of means for recording and reproducing subsequently, wherein the method comprises transmitting the media content objects together with media content information indicating flexible and rigid expiration times corresponding to each of the media content objects, so that the media content objects can be removed before the flexible expiration times and eliminated after the rigid expiration times. 25. A method for transmitting content objects of means for recording and reproducing subsequently, wherein the method comprises transmitting the media content objects together with media content information indicating the availability times corresponding to the objects of the media. media content, so that media content objects are available to be selected for playback only after the corresponding availability times. 26. The apparatus as described in claim 25, characterized in that the availability times are subsequent to the corresponding transmission times of the media content objects. 27. A method for transmitting content objects of means for recording and reproducing subsequently, wherein the method comprises transmitting the media content objects together with media content information indicating the visibility times corresponding to the objects of the media. media content, so that the media content objects are available to be selected for playback only during the corresponding visibility times. The apparatus as described in claim 27, characterized in that the media content information includes saving information indicating whether each of the media content objects can be saved during their corresponding visibility times to be viewed after their corresponding visibility times. 29. A computer program adjusted to carry out the method as described in any of claims 21 to 28.